'Clear-headed and relaxed' Napa focused on future success

Last season started for Dylan Napa with his private life all over social media and ended by watching his former Roosters teammates win back-to-back premierships.

It doesn't sound an ideal way to book-end a rugby league year. But with Napa's happy-go-lucky attitude to life he's taken it all in his stride.

Remember the 2018 premiership win over Storm meant so much to him he was still dressed in full footy kit – jersey, shorts, socks and boots – when the Roosters appeared the next morning at their fan day.

"It wasn't hard watching it," Napa told NRL.com of the Roosters' win over the Raiders in the title decider.

"I was very happy for the guys … I still have a lot of mates in that team.

"But I'd like to be there again one day - with the Bulldogs this time."

His first season at Belmore, after six with the Bondi Junction club, got off to a poor start in January when footage was leaked of Napa engaging in some lewd conduct five years earlier.

Napa, who said he didn't feel like all the exposure had left him a more cynical person, has emerged still able to smile and enjoy his football.

"I don't feel I'm too much of a different person to what I was last year. What happened to me hasn't affected me badly or made me think about things too deeply. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing," he said.

"It was a pretty eventful year for me last time so to come to this pre-season a lot more clear-headed and relaxed is a pretty good feeling."

Instead he's under a different kind of heat – that coming off the likes of David Fifita and Payne Haas as young props already stamping their ground as representative players.

Napa, who lost his position in the Queensland team after the first two matches of the 2019 Origin series, has played in two Prime Minister's XIII teams but is yet to represent Australia. There is a Kangaroos tour at the end of 2020 and then the World Cup in 2021.

"I just turned 27 but there's 19-year-old players out there having incredible seasons. So this is a year I really want to be better," he said.

"Well that's my wish every year, to step things up. But I feel younger guys are right on my heels."

From his 20 games in 2019, he only played eight where he spent 55 minutes on the field.

"I haven't thought specifically about that," he said, when asked if wanted to maintain a quality 60 minutes per game.

"I'm trying to improve in all areas of being in the front row," said Napa, who scored two tries for his new club along with 130 metres per game, and an average 50 post-contact metres.

"The way the game is going at the moment it would definitely be nice to play some longer minutes.

"I also want to see better defence from myself and getting a few more offloads away."